Turkey Takes Serious Action Against Illegal Gambling, Endorphina will be available in the UAE, Three People Convicted in Ukraine Over Illegal Gambling & More Weekly iGaming News

We are back again with our weekly overview of the hottest news from the iGaming sector. Last week offered us a lot of intriguing information, so we at Nostrabet.com are here to share the most interesting details. It is time to learn more about the latest changes in the UAE, Turkey’s efforts to combat illegal gambling, and more. We tried to sum up all of the important news, so let’s begin.

Endorphina Got a Gaming – Related License in the UAE

Endorphina has officially become the next casino software provider to have its products available in the UAE. The company based in Prague received the Gaming-Related Vendor License from the UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority. This is the regulating body in the country.

As you well know, the UAE is about to become the first country in the Middle East to have a real casino. Wynn Resorts is still developing its latest pearl, called the Wynn Al Marjan Island project, and it’s estimated to cost around $5.1B. Due to the war with Iran, however, the project is moving slightly slower than it should.

Wynn actually confirmed that there is a delay in the resort. The original plan was to open in March 2027, but it seems we may have to wait a bit longer.

Entain Wants the Independent Football Regulator to Prevent Clubs from Accepting Sponsorships from Operators Without a UK License

The UK is in the news again after Entain, the company behind Coral and Ladbrokes, released an interesting statement. According to them, the Independent Football Regulator should not allow clubs to accept gambling sponsorships for sites that are not licensed in the UK.

Under current law, operators without a UK license can sponsor teams through white-label agreements. In fact, there are a total of 6 operators sponsoring Premier League teams right now that do not have a permit in the country.

As for Entain, the company is the official sponsor of Liverpool and Birmingham City via Ladbrokes and Coral, respectively. It will be interesting to see whether the brand’s suggestion becomes a reality. If it happens, some teams will have to figure out what to do with their current sponsorship contracts.

UKGC’s Stance on Gaming Machines and Illegal Gambling

The UK Gambling Commission announced plans to introduce stricter regulations for non-compliant gaming machines. On top of that, there are also plans to intensify enforcement against illegal land-based gambling activities.

Starting from July 29, operators will have to remove any gaming machines that do not have the specific technical license. They also have to remove these gaming machines that fail to meet the specific safety and compliance standards. The idea here is that the gaming machines must follow the laws and meet all safety standards.

It seems like the Gambling Commission is working with the bingo industry to ensure everything runs smoothly. The entire goal is to protect players, ensure fair gambling and reduce the unregulated gambling activity in the country. It is one of the reasons why the government allocated close to 26 M GBP over the years.

Ukraine Convicted 3 People Following a Secret Casino

Three men in Kyiv received a conviction after it became clear they were running an illegal gambling operation. An interesting fact is that the business was disguised very well, until the authorities found an underground casino in a business center.

Outside of the illegal casino, these people also had a call center. They used it to process payments and talk to potential clients. The people who worked there contacted victims and promoted investments in various crypto trading systems. Once someone got hooked and gave them money, the people in the call center stopped contacting them.

After the court found them guilty, the two were fined around $18K. Moreover, the court confiscated an additional $20,000. Victims will have to wait for all criminal proceedings to conclude, as additional penalties may be on the way.

India did not allow a new casino boat on the Mandovi River

There was an interesting proposal in India that would allow people to access a new floating casino. In fact, there is a smaller 70-guest casino on the Mandoni River in India and there were plans to replace it with a larger vessel that could carry 2000 people. Sadly, this will not happen because the Bombay High Court did not allow it.

Since the river is close to Goa, many people there oppose these kinds of boats. According to them, they pollute the waters and have a negative impact on the environment.

Keep in mind that Goa is just one of the three states in India where gambling is legal. In fact, the state currently has 13 different casinos and the local government has collected more than 37M in 2022 alone. A new boat like this will definitely make the region even more popular among players, but we will have to wait and see whether it will become available.

Indonesian Authorities Warn Against Online Fraud and Illegal Gambling Ahead of the World Cup

Indonesia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia where people often get involved in various gambling scandals. Despite the fact that gambling is prohibited, locals often take part in different activities. That’s the reason why the police decided to warn people to refrain from betting on sports for the upcoming World Cup.

The country is among the many in the region that prohibit all forms of gambling, whether online or in person. Sadly, the situation in the country is getting worse, especially after the big crackdown on illegal online gambling operators in Cambodia. Indonesian authorities believe that many of these “businesses” will move to their country because the police recently took action against such operations in West Jakarta.

When it comes to the World Cup, there is no arguing that the competition could break records. Even though Indonesia itself will not be part of the event, there will be a public viewing event that will attract many people. It will be interesting to see whether local authorities will be able to keep things under control.

France Developed a New Algorithm Against Problem Gambling

France is one of the more interesting European countries when it comes to gambling. Recently, the French National Gaming Authority revealed that it developed a new algorithm that will identify people who have gambling problems. It became clear that the detection tool is a part of the authority’s vision for 2026, whose goal is to reduce excessive gambling.

According to some studies in 2024, there are 1.17 million people in France who have problematic gambling behavior. This number is definitely much higher today because the industry has grown massively over the last two years.

Now that the new algorithm is in place, the French authorities will use 23 different indicators to determine if someone has a problem. These include things like the use of gambling moderation tools, frequency and intensity of gambling activity and financial transaction patterns. Of course, the tool will also analyze a given player’s gambling history.

Stake could enter into a new LatAm Market after Mexico

If you read our review of last week’s news, you already know that Stake is now available in Mexico. The expansion comes just a few weeks before the beginning of the FIFA World Cup. It seems Stake is not done yet, as the site may soon enter a new LatAm market.

The site’s General Manager said that Mexico ticked all the boxes the company was looking for. We do not have any information about Stake’s next potential market, but we expect it to arrive soon. Currently, the website is operating legally in Peru, Brazil and Colombia.

Turkey to monitor millions under its MASAK gambling watch

Turkey is one of the several countries around the world where gambling is illegal. Despite that, the country often finds itself in controversy over illegal gambling. That’s why Erdogan, its president, ordered MASAK (the intelligence unit) to monitor certain people and keep track of their consumer transactions and data with illegal gambling operators.

According to some of the local news, the authorities have linked more than 3M people with gambling-related transactions. All of these actions are part of Erdogan’s campaign against illegal betting and virtual gambling. That’s why it is no surprise that authorities have already started arresting people for violating the rules.

What’s also interesting is that the new law grants prosecutors more power. They can freeze people’s accounts, seize assets and pursue criminal cases against illegal gambling transactions.

Anakra also said that it will take action against gambling networks based in other countries. According to some of the local authorities, networks in Armenia, Georgia and North Macedonia have become big hubs for Turkish players.